I was a teen in the 70’s, the days of bi-annual Bishop interviews. I was asked about masturbation every time. I hated those interviews, it was crushingly shaming. I’m furious now that I was guilted for completely normal and healthy teen behavior. The thing that makes me the most angry is that those interviews taught…
Growing up I had a bishop who was just trying to do his best. I get it, we all want to please the Lord. However he took it across the line a few times. This is one of those times and how it affected me later on. When I turned 16 and was ready to…
I was going to start this story at 16, but in truth it starts at 12. President Hinckley had come out with questions that he wanted father’s to ask their children once a month. My dad only did the first month of questions. I choose to believe it’s because he saw that they were harmful…
I can’t remember exactly how old I was I want to say, 12 or 13… I know is was quite Young. I was called into the bishops office for an interview so I could go do baptisms for the dead on our Temple trip coming up (as my parents wanted). I remember one of the…
I have never been formally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, but I have so many Aspie traits that I identify as one. I have been blessed with many wonderful leaders over the years in church, but I have had some very traumatic experiences with others. I grew up making good grades in school but was very…
Story #1 I was taken to a member of our stake presidency when I was 15 because my parents learned my boyfriend and I had “gone too far.” He asked lots of questions but the one that stuck with me was “Do you think you are oversexed?” I truly thought there was something WRONG with…
I used to live with legal guardian parents Michael and Judy and their two kids, and I only stayed with them because they lived in the area where the school I needed to go. My parents were not well off, they couldn’t move a few hours down, so the Mormon community was more than happy…
When I was sixteen, I had a boyfriend. He was handsome, funny, and smart. He was a gentleman, always opening doors and carrying things for me. He was investigating the Church, so everyone was delighted that we were dating, because I was so active in church activities and held many leadership positions. This man was…
As the only member in my family, I’ve fought hard to carve a path for myself in this church. As a 15 year old new member I had already experienced sex and reigning in all my previous experience was hard. I was not accustomed to accountability, least of all to men I didn’t have a…
I debated for many months whether or not to share my story. It is not as bad as many of the early stories that I read that broke my heart. I was asked inappropriate questions by my bishops. At the age of 17, I experienced a date rape, although that term wasn’t coined yet to…